Shark Attack Cupcakes!
For his birthday bash Liam got a shark attack. It looked like there was a feeding frenzy in the waves, but not to worry, the kids ate all the sharks before anyone got injured. Karen made the sharks from Twinkies coated in grey tinted frosting. You can get the full instructions in our book, Hello Cupcake! and see all the other shark attack cupcake designs including a buoy marker, life preservers with shark bites, and a school of fish fleeing the sharks! The full instructions are in our book. If Liam's party was any indication, shark attacks are going to be very popular.
You can check out the book at our web site www.hellocupcakebook.com
Happy Cupcaking!
Karen and Alan
We held onto all of the cupcake projects until we finished editing the book. That way we always had the "real McCoy" to go back to. Well you can only imagine how hard and dusty they were by the time we finally threw them out. It is amazing that the entire book fit into a black garbage bag!
Reply to this
I was so busy this year that I didn't have time to send out Christmas cards. I had made some snowmen cupcake faces for the kids at school, and I love shots of multiple things, so I made sure I took a photo of them. Well I double dipped, I brought the cupcakes to school and then sent the images out to all my friends and family as an email Christmas card! Lazy, huh? It was great for me, so much so that I may do it again next year!!!! The only bad part is that some of my older relatives are not computer savvy. Guess I better get a few stamps for some of next year's cupcake cards!
Reply to this
Wow! I just saw the first copy of Hello Cupcake, and let me tell you, it is worth waiting for. I might start with somthing a little simpler than "Shark Attack" though...maybe "minnow attack". I've just bought enough copies of the new book to last me through every hostess gift, baby shower, birthday present... yada yada yada... for the coming year! ITS PERFECT! Some day I hope to meet Karen and/or Alan...do you have a public appearance schedule yet for the book launch?
Reply to this
can you make jaguar cupcakes.
ROCK ON!
Reply to this
You didnt forget about April Fools day but what about easter?
Reply to this
Karen/Alan,
I made shark cupcakes today and had trouble with dipping them in the gray frosting. I microwaved the frosting for 30 seconds and it seemed to be the correct consistency, however, when I dipped, I could not get the frosting to coat the sharks evenly. There were thicker spots and thinner spots. I have been using Duncan Hines frosting. Any tips/help you can provide would be much appreciated. This happened when I made the bowling pin cupcakes also. Look forward to hearing from you!
Regards,
Chef Cheryl
Reply to this
Hi Chef,
Reply to this
Hey! I had some problems with this too. I found that I had to reheat almost every shark and that seemed to help. I also used the spoon to spoon it over some tough areas. Hope that helps.
Reply to this
Hey, we do that too! Spooning the melted frosting over the cupcake is a fine way to even out the coating. The most important thing is to stir the frosting now and then to make sure you don't get those thick and thin spots in consistency.
Alan and Karen
Reply to this
Hey alan and karen,
i love your book!! these decorations are easier than people think. They are soo much fun!
Keep on cupcaking!!!
Reply to this
Hi Stephanie,
Reply to this
I am looking for suggestions for my son's first birthday party in July. I would like to incorporate a crab in to the theme- his birth sign. My first idea was to have a cake that looked like a sandcastle surrounded by crab cupcakes. After reading through Hello, Cupcake I like idea of a cupcake cake. Any suggestions on how to make crab cupcakes or a sandcastle cake out of cupcakes?
Reply to this
I wish you had asked this next year. Can you wait till next July. We are working on 2 projects that will be perfect for his party. Can't tell too much but look for the new book in April 2010 What's New Cupcake!
All the best and
Keep on cupcaking
Alan and Karen
Reply to this
I tried making shark cupcakes, had trouble dipping. Twinkies fell apart in frosting or fell off. I had frozen them as directed, any suggestions???
Reply to this
Freezing them well is a really important thing. I have also seen some of our students cut the sharks too long and they are hard to dip and are a little top heavy. Try making the shark a bit shorter and be sure to let them sit in the freezer till they are completely firm.
Keep on cupcaking,
alan and Karen
Reply to this
I love the book, and it has inspired me in so many ways. But I'm having a bit of a problem getting my sharks to stay up and not break. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much,
Betsy
Reply to this
The sharks really need to stay in the freezer for quite a few minutes to firm up before dipping them in the warm melted frosting. The other problem could be cutting the Twinkie too large. It should be just a little more than half the Twinkie when you cut it on the diagonal. I have seen a few top-heavy sharks bite the dust in class. So try a shorter shark and let it chill in the freezer a little longer. hope that helps.
Keep on cupcaking
Alan and Karen
Reply to this
I love the shark cupcakes, and I want to make them sooo bad. However I can not find the Nabisco Chocolate wafers in any of the markets where I live, Lake City TN. Do you have any suggestions where I can find them, either in the market or on line. I have even checked the Nabisco web site. I found them at one web site, but only in bulk. Thank you, keep on cupcaking.
Reply to this
Just wanted to add - I found the Famous Wafers at my grocery store with all the ice cream toppings (bottles of hot fudge, etc), near the freezer section. They didn't have them in the cookie section. I was so frustrated trying to look for them before I figured that out, so thought I'd pass it along in case it helps anyone!
Reply to this
Libby, Thanks so much for that note. We never thought to tell people that. Our grocer stacks it in the same place. Thanks you so much and everyone out there be sure to look for them in the ice cream toppings section. You see, it does take a village to make cupcake!
Reply to this
I'm going to attempt these for my son's birthday. Can they be made a day or so in advance? And if so, how should they be stored? Thanks! And wish me luck!
Reply to this
Yes they can definitely be made a day in advance. Don't refrigerate, just cover and keep in a cool spot. The frosting and decorations will keep the cake nice and moist and the frosting will become firm so it is easier to transport them. Some cupcake projects are more fragile and look best if you make them up to a point the day before and then finish them off when ready to serve. But sharks are not that fragile and will looks great the next day too.
Happy cupcaking, Alan
Reply to this
Your cupcakes are so cute! I made the sharks yesterday and they turned out nice, but not nearly as pretty as yours!
The pictures of the ones I did can be seen here: http://adventuresindiapering.blogspot.com/2009/06/shark-attack-cupcakes.html
I wasn't able to get the dipping to go very well, so I started pouring the frosting over the sharks and letting the drippings go into another bowl. Then I would pick that bowl up and pour it over the next shark and let that drip into the original bowl. That worked pretty well.
Reply to this
I tried to make the shark cupcakes but I wasn't successful. Every time I turned a shark upside down it would fall into the other icing. I used Duncan Hines for first few times then tried with my homemade icing. Do you have any suggestions on anther way or brand to make the shark stick? Thank you.
Reply to this
Our biggest tip is to be sure the cupcake and Twinkie are well chilled in the freezer before dipping. After you glue them together with the frosting place them in the freezer for a good 15 minutes or longer. That way the warm frosting won't make them come unglued.
Happy Cupcaking,
Alan and Karen
Reply to this